Conformity in the media

Adorno and Horkheimer state that the seperate media - radio and television, primarily - are producing the same commodities disguised as different things, and that this procedure has been adopted by all media. They argue that conformity is being proffered as choice in everything, from career to recreation to religion. The minute differences between products that create competition in consumer markets are in fact examples of the overwhelming similarity between all products. They discuss the situation in which a classic novel, or piece of music, is adapted for film, and claim this is cheapening of something valuable.

I disagree with this interpretation. To me, it seems that every new medium that takes up the same story is a translation, not an adaptation. In a recent conversation with a friend about Les Miserables, we discussed the polarised opinions about the film. Some say it is a wonderful example of filmic art, and others say that it loses in comparison to the musical. In truth, the singing in the musical production is of a better quality than in the film, but because the purpose of the film is not to produce great music, this is not a problem. A film is about cinematic art, while a musical is about music. Thus, taking Les Miserables - which actually originated as a novel - and turning it into a film is a translation of a well-known story, rather than a poor imitation. In this way, people who might never have felt the inclination to read the book, or been able to afford the time or money it takes to attend a musical, are still able to see a legitimate version of the story.

While it may be true that a great deal of crossover takes place between the various media, this does not devalue the reproductions. Each retelling of the same story is a translation that adds new worth even while it loses what previous renditions have had.

References
Adorno T & M Horkheimer. 1973. 'Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception', in The Dialectics of Enlightenment, trans. J. Cumming. Verso, London.







Each new medium is a translation, not an adaptation. It does not lose exactly, but changes - every medium is supposed to expres different things, so it is not for a film to be worse than the book it is based on, but different - a retelling of the story with different purposes, with different focuses.